As Asia’s only great ape, orangutans remain a prime target for the illegal pet trade across the region. With their populations concentrated in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand, the alarming figures from January 2013 to July 2023 underscore a distressing reality – at least 161 live orangutans have fallen victim to the clutches of illegal trade.
The findings, meticulously compiled by TRAFFIC, an organization dedicated to monitoring wildlife trade, unravel a complex web of 103 incidents involving the confiscation and voluntary surrender of orangutan pets, as well as thwarted trafficking attempts, spanning these three countries. While habitat loss looms as a perpetual threat for orangutans native to Indonesia and Malaysia, the shocking revelation remains that even young orangutans are not immune to the clutches of the illegal pet trade.
JUVENILES
More harrowing is the discovery that over half of the seized orangutans were juveniles. These vulnerable young lives, dependent on their mothers for nearly eight years, are at grave risk due to their diminutive size and fragility.
Krishnasamy, Director for TRAFFIC in Southeast Asia, starkly warns that the known cases likely represent only the tip of the iceberg, as countless others are believed to have fallen victim to poaching and death beyond official records.
The prevalence of illegally held pets in the data starkly outweighs trafficking cases, underscoring the unrelenting demand for exotic pets. To shield these endangered creatures from harm, addressing this demand and fortifying protection and enforcement at the very source are paramount.
IUCN RED LIST
The status of orangutans on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species is equally grim, with all three species—the Sumatran, Bornean, and Tapanuli Orangutan—grappling with the threat of critical endangerment. The Tapanuli Orangutan, recognized a mere four years ago, teeters on the edge of extinction with a meagre population of 800, restricted to the confines of Sumatra.
The heart of the crisis lies in Indonesia, which emerges as a hotbed of orangutan seizures, with West Kalimantan province bearing witness to the highest number of confiscated orangutans. Significantly, several instances of cross-border smuggling highlight the international dimension of this illicit trade, involving nations like Kuwait, Russia, and South Korea.
Amid these challenges, Indonesia’s response has been a mix of vigilance and action, as demonstrated by the dismantling of an orangutan smuggling network in Sumatra. Additionally, even high-ranking government officials implicated in corruption have not been immune to arrests for illegal possession of orangutans.
As World Orangutan Day on August 19 serves as a poignant reminder of the urgency to protect these magnificent creatures, a call to action reverberates: combating the illegal pet trade, safeguarding orangutans from exploitation, and securing their place in the ecosystem remains paramount.
